Railway-switch-operating mechanism.



l. L. EDWARDS.

RAILWAY SWITCH OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 5- 1909' RENEWED JAN. 25.1919. 1,299,31 1 Patented Apr. 1. 1919.

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'1. L. EDWARDS.

RAILWAY SWITCH OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATIONI ILED JUNE 5-. I909. RENEWED JAN. 25; I919.

Patented Apr. 1', 1919.

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UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

IsAAc L. nnwanns, on AURORA, ILLINOIS.

lRtAIINVAY-SVVITCH-OPERATING MECHANISM.

Application filed June 5. 1909, Serial No. 500.395.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, ISAAC L. EDWARDS, of Aurora, in the county of Kane, and in the State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Railway- SWitch-Operating Mechanism, and do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

The object of my invention is to provide improvements in motors, such as those using compressed air, for operating the movable members, or elements in railroad construction, such as the switch points, and to this end myinvention consists in the mechanism constructed substantially as hereinafter specified and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is aperspective view of a portion of a railroad track equipped with my invention; I

i Fig. 2 a plan view in the nature of a diagram showing a section of railroad track equipped with my invention Fig. 3 a detail View in perspective of the compressed air operating cylinder;

Fig. 4 a longitudinal section thereof.

In the drawings, 10 designates the main line tracks, 11 the sliding tracks, and 12 the switch points fo said siding. Connected with the switch points for swinging the same is a rod 13 extending as usual transversely of the track and connected w1th the" operating lever of a switch stand 14, so that when desired the switch may be opened. and closed by hand. At a convenient point adjacent to one of the main line tracks 10, I place a compressed air or pneumatic cylinder 15, containing a piston 16 on a piston rod 17, that extends through both ends of the cylinder, which by the admission of compressed air is adapted to be moved in one or the other direction according to the requirements of the case. At one end, the piston rod 17 is shown connected with one arm of a bell crank lever 18, whose other arm is connected to the switch point operating rod 13, and at its other end the piston rod may beconnected by an arrangement of rods and levers to suit the case to the switch points of another switch located it may be at some considerably distant point.

Alongside the cylinder 15 is a valve chest 19, having, communicating with the cylinder near each end on opposite sides of the pis- I ton 16, ports 20, controlled by a piston valve Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 1, 1919. Renewed January 25. 1919. Serial No. 273.171.

21, so that alternately the ports at one end may be used as inlet and exhaust ports for the cylinder15, compressed air being supplied to the chest 19 by a supply pipe 22, connected with a suitable source of supply such as a main reservoir located, if desired, at the depot. The pipe 22 thus provides for conveying compressed air from any point desired to thevalve chest. In the supply pipe 22, near the chest 19, is a valve 23 having an operating handle 24 which at one end is connected bya link 25 to the protruding end of the piston valve rod 26, and at its other end is connected to a'rod 27 that extends alongside the track to some point, say five hundred feet,from the switch.

I The rod 27 maybe operated by a suitable lever, or otherwise,either in the station, or depot, or atanyother point and thereby the valve handle 24: moved to control the admis sion of air tothe valve chest for the operation of the switch operating piston in the cylinder 15. It will be understood that the handle, or lever 24 opens and closes the valve 23 as well as shifts the piston valves 21in the valve chest to control the supply of air to the cylinder. The valve 23 in either of its extreme positions is open sothat in one extreme position it supplies air to act upon one piston valve 21 in the valve chest and in the other extreme position supplies air to act upon the other piston valve 21 and at an intermediate position cuts off the supply of air to both piston valves 21. The valve chest 19, as will be understood, is provided with suitable exhaust ports 190 for the efllux of used air from the valve chest.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings I show a hand lever 271 for moving the rod 27.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings I illustrate a semaphore located at some suitable point along the track to notify or warn the engineer of the condition of the switch. Said semaphore comprises a vertical post 35 sup ported by a suitable foot or base 36, on which is mounted a tubular shaft 37 which at i s upper end carries a semaphore arm 38 that is adapted to be swung horizontally from a position parallel with the track to a position crosswise thereof, as illustrated in full and dotted lines, respectively, in Fig. 1, and

which carries a lamp or lantern 39 and a I utilize the air pressure in the tank 45 by connecting it by a pipe 4.? with the controlling valve 23. Of course air may be supplied to the supply reservoir in any desired way. I, however, utilize the passing trains for furnishing the energy to operate the switches and the semaphores, and I do this by locating one or more, preferably a number of pumps or air compressors l8 conveniently near the track, and to the piston rod 49 of said air compressor I connect a lever 50, which is pivoted to a suitable bracket adjacent one of the track rails 10, so that the end of the lever will be in the path of the flanges of the car wheels, and as the latter pass over the lever it will be vibrated and so operate the pump. A suitable spring 51 is provided to move the pump lever in opposition to the action of the car wheels. The pumps may be connected with a common supply reservoir or tank, or as indicated in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the connection may be made with the tank or reservoir 45 by means of a pipe 52. g

It will be evident that instead of using compressed air, if desired steam may be employed.

It will be understood, of course, that in the embodiment of my invention, changes Copies of this patent may be obtained for a pipe leading from a supply of fluid under pressure to said motor, a valve in said pipe to open and close the same, a piston valve alternately opening and closing communication between said supply pipe at opposite sides of the motor to cause the latter to move alternately in opposite directions, means to open'and close the pipe valve, and a. connec tion between the pipe valve and the piston valve acting to shift the piston valve to one or the other of its positions to place the sup ply pipe in communication. with its respective ports while the supply pipe valve is open.

2. In a railway switch, the combination of a cylinder and its piston, a valve chest, a pipe leading from a source of supply offiuid under pressure to the valve chest, ports opening from the valve chest to opposite sides of the piston in the cylinder, a pair of piston valves in the valve chest on opposite sides of the point of communication between the supply pipe and the valve chest, a rotary valve in the supply pipe to open and close the same, and a connection between the supply pipe valve and the piston valves whereby upon the opening of the supply pipe valve the piston valves are shifted to change the communication between the supply pipe and the respective ports leading from the valve chest to the cylinder.

In testimony that'I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand.-

ISAAG L. EDWARDS.

Witnesses GHAs. J. WILLIAMSON, CLYDE B. WEIKERT.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

